People sometimes laugh when I tell them that one of the most popular excursions we have done is to Bunnings. The aim wasn’t to do a pre-set activity, but rather to go on a treasure hunt for the supplies we needed for the street library we are going to build. The children were encouraged to consider what we will need and how we will build it. As we get going with our project, they will be reading and understanding the instructions for the Street Library and finishing the real project.

In the recent summer vacation care program we gave the children a budget, and we went to a great bookshop in Victoria Park - Crow Books - where the children got busy choosing books. When their time was up they piled them up high on a coffee table in the store, and negotiated with each other for what they wanted. They understood keeping to budget and arranged for a discount on the books so that they could get a recipe book that they had spotted (cooking is a big favourite here in the House)! Visiting a bookstore is now a regular fixture on the Vacation program. For the April program we are visiting the Paper Bird Children's Books and Arts in Fremantle.

A group of children are now choosing some soft furnishings for a book nook they want to develop. This means going online (under close supervision) and comparing and contrasting what they can get. Their contribution to our environment helps them settle in and feel that they belong. Belonging is important here.

Experiencing belonging – knowing where and with whom you belong – is integral to human existence. Children belong first to a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community. In early childhood, and throughout life, relationships are crucial to a sense of belonging. Belonging is central to being and becoming in that it shapes who children are and who they can become.

(https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/belonging_being_and_becoming_the_early_years_learning_framework_for_australia._v5_docx.pdf)

The next school holiday program has now been finalised and will be released later today, now that we have gained the seal of approval from the children and rostered on all their favourite educators. Never the same, we blend favourite experiences with the new. This holidays we will be spending time in a workshop with a book illustrator, taking the train to a fantastic restaurant, learning some new skills with a creative recycling sculptor, catching the latest movie and much more!

For those not booked in, the Outside School Hours Care House is also a wonderful haven on campus, whether mum or dad are delayed picking their child up, or after school pick-up instructions are forgotten. We occasionally find that some children are on campus early or late and if that is the case, they come to the OSHC House where they can have fun, a snack and a drink, and be cared for till the school day begins or the pick-up instructions are all sorted out. We take casual bookings. For parents it is peace of mind and for children it is a feeling of belonging.

For further information on our programs, please visit our website.


Doreen Blyth
Out of School Care Coordinator

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